NFL Playoffs Challenge Wild-Card Weekend (Round 1) Results

Our NFL Playoffs Challenge is officially underway with the Wild-Card Weekend games kicking things off this past weekend to give us our opening round results in the challenge.

The NFL Playoffs Challenge is a competition where each contestant plays two Throwdown games per week of the NFL Playoffs (one game for Super Bowl), and we tally points for how well they performed in those challenges. Players earn 2 points for a win, plus 0.5 points if they win a challenge by 21 or more fantasy points. There is an also additional 0.5 points awarded after the Super Bowl, for each time they drafted the eventual Super Bowl MVP in all of their Throwdown games in this contest.

We have 20 entries in the contest, prizes for Top 5 overall finishers, plus a weekly prize. Read the original sign up post for full rules and details. Now without further adieu, here are the results from Wild-Card Weekend.

You vs. ___ ?

As everyone who played in the challenge quickly realized, once we picked the three games in the challenges, I was able to load picks for the Throwdown1 and Throwdown2 accounts which allowed our members to draft their entire team without needing to wait for an opponent to respond (or pretty close). Sort of like drafting against a computer player.

We did some of this during the Turkey Day Challenge, and I wanted to try it again here in the interest of keeping things moving, especially the first week with hectic schedules around New Year’s. At this point I need to come clean however and give credit where credit is due. These were not my own personal rankings.

The Throwdown1 account – games with O+ Flex (QB/RB/WR/TE) lineup – used rankings from 4for4.com and experts John Paulsen (@4for4_John) and Josh Moore (@4for4_Josh).

These experts really lived up to their names with a solid performance, especially considering it was nothing more complicated than inputting their overall rankings in the database, with no consideration for strategy based on how our members were drafting. The T1 and T2 accounts also did not take advantage of the Block. It was only used as a last round pick if needed (if a member blocked T1 or T2 during the draft). Even with some A.J. Green mixed in before late in the week realizing he wasn’t going to play, their records were very good.

Throwdown1, a.k.a. 4for4, went 14-6. None of the 6 losses were by 21 or more points. Congrats John and Josh! (Even though they didn’t know this was happening.)

Throwdown2, a.k.a. PFF, went 11-9. Only 4 of the losses were by 21 or more points. These rankings were a little more Cincinnati Bengals top-heavy, including Green as their #6 overall player, which cost them a few wins. Very nice job considering, Jeff, Mike and Ross! (Also didn’t know about this in advance.)

Okay, that is who you played against. Lets get to the Wild-Card Weekend and overall standings through Round 1 of the NFL Playoffs Challenge.

Round 1 Results

W

L

+21

Pts

PF

PA

Dif

1. mikemar

2

0

1

4.5

285.1

218.7

66.4

2. Wilforkisland

2

0

1

4.5

273.0

232.3

40.7

3. sguile

2

0

0

4

254.3

236.8

17.6

4. tshnide

2

0

0

4

261.5

257.1

4.4

5. thunder

1

1

1

2.5

277.7

256.2

21.5

6. Cacciatorini

1

1

1

2.5

241.1

257.3

-16.2

7. puntacanapeo

1

1

0

2

258.9

249.1

9.9

8. Luxuriousdusti

1

1

0

2

256.9

260.9

-4.0

9. gtrain

1

1

0

2

248.5

258.0

-9.6

10. WeilCats

1

1

0

2

255.2

267.0

-11.8

11. sguile #2

1

1

0

2

250.4

268.6

-18.2

12. WeilCats #2

0

2

0

0

253.1

270.7

-17.6

13. Cacciatorini #2

0

2

0

0

220.9

257.0

-36.2

14. atcdav

0

2

0

0

231.9

268.9

-37.0

15. jeffNFL

0

2

0

0

243.6

281.1

-37.5

16. laoch

0

2

0

0

233.8

271.7

-37.9

17. rhazes_darkk

0

2

0

0

230.5

278.2

-47.7

18. Doclate

0

2

0

0

211.3

268.7

-57.5

19. tshnide #2

0

2

0

0

231.0

295.5

-64.5

20. tinmac

0

2

0

0

220.0

299.8

-79.9

Congrats mikemar, who wins the Round 1 weekly prize, just edging out Wilforkisland on the margin of victory!

We can see with only four players going 2-0 after one week, this is still very much anyone’s ball game, because there are still five games to be played. The Super Bowl game counts for double points.

Divisional Playoffs round games will be input soon. Make sure to check back the rules so you know the lineup requirements for each game. Will I pre-load rankings again this week? Likely, yes. Am I going to say whose rankings they are? No.